


Vices

by Duskkodesh



Category: Avengers (Comics), Marvel (Comics), Marvel 616
Genre: Established Relationship, F/M, Marriage, Relationship(s), Short One Shot, Villains
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-21
Updated: 2019-01-21
Packaged: 2019-10-02 10:14:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 928
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17262386
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Duskkodesh/pseuds/Duskkodesh
Summary: Just a little one shot I did with a prompt as a writing exercise. Proxima and Corvus give me life. My New Years resolution was to write and draw more and even short one shots are better than me doing nothing so I hope you enjoy and I'll try to do more in the future :D





	Vices

"Wake." Corvus leaned his slim frame against the medical bay cot, arms crossed in annoyance and claws around his own forearms like a cage meant to trap himself in. He'd not washed, blood and bile dripped off that torn old cloak he was so fond of. He wore it all like a second skin. 

The ship was eerily quiet on this deck. Time between missions had been surprisingly vast and most of the crew, those not enslaved, were taking it as an impromptu vacation. The Maw was in engineering working on a broken ring, Black Swan was overseeing a remodel of her headquarters, and Black Dwarf was spending his free time nose deep in his collection of books. 

Proxima opened her eyes and stretched a single limb over her head languidly. She'd have killed anyone else for disturbing her. Doubly and brutally so for catching her without her mask or prosthetic arm on. Corvus always had a free pass, he could intrude where others would not dare. The benefit of being her mate. "Hmmmm...? What is wrong? Did you get infested with Telamnan mites again? Need me to rub your back down?" 

She teased and he grunted, a rough noise that sounded too insectoid to pass as misheard speech. That incident had not been humorous at the time. "I need a reason now to seek out my wife? You wound me, my dear lady Midnight."

Her response was a curt laugh as she rolled over to look him in the eye. "Want in my bed?"

"It is a cot..."  
  
"Want in my cot then?"

"No. I heard about your arm and wished to come check on you..."

"Come make sure I was not dead?"

"Yes. That as well."

"Why Corvus. I've heard your species has no problems with mating with the dead." Her teasing tone didn't help lighten his sour mood and as she watched his glare she groaned and sat up. It was to be one of _those_ discussions."I'm fine."  
  
"With your gender I rarely find that things described as _'fine'_ are indeed acceptable." He was whacked with a pillow almost before he could complete the sentence.

"I am alive and healing. I'm on a range of antitoxins as a preventative only." 

"So you were bitten?"

"Lightly. I made the beast suffer for it. Nearly destroyed the plumage and lost my trophy."

"My Midnight..." 

That was the drumroll that signaled a coming fight. It was not their first battle of wills and both drew a long breath on reflex in preperation.

"You cannot scold me Corvus, not when your breath smells of Xeros ale again."

"My vices are not hunting trips that destroy valuable equipment and several dozen soldiers." 

"And mine are not drinking myself into a stupor so bad that I could not beat the servant who polishes the windows in a game of checkers, oh great strategist."

"My strategical abilities have kept me alive. They have kept all of us alive."

"Your glaive has kept you alive. There are days when I wonder if you speak or it does."

Ouch. That one hurt and she saw it and reached for him before he could retreat. Her hand knotted in that soiled cloak and she felt the blood.

"Corvus? What did you do?"

"I sentenced the pilot who took you out hunting..."

He always looked away for a moment. It reminded her of a domestic animal accused of chewing shoes. She stared blankly for a few seconds and then broke into a fit of laughter. "Was that from misguided loyalty or jealousy?"

Finally he sighed and sat down beside her on the cot and she leaned into his side. "Both I think. You should have gotten me. We could hunt together."

"I did not think you enjoyed hunting beasts. They are not capable of tactics and in the past you professed to find them boring."

"For you, I will give it a try. Perhaps you will be enough to make the experience entertaining." Against his shoulder she smirked as he added. "You... are always enough."

She kicked her feet lightly, swinging them next to his. For a moment they looked like a normal couple. One from a place of peace and serenity. It didn't last long. "Would you like to see the kill? It's being mounted for my room."

"Just what your room needed. Another dead great beast staring at my ass as we make love in your quarters." He made the mistake of looking at her and she licked her lips then dragged her teeth against them. He stared. He always stared. "Yes. I will come see your kill. If! If you have a drink with me and try to relax."

She crossed her single arm over her chest and leaned away from him. "I deplore down time."

"I know you do my dear." He stood and looked over the tables until he came to the control panel and pressed a few lit buttons. The wall opened and revealed her repaired limp arm hanging there as if from a hook. He took it down like it was made from the finest of silks and was far too fragile for his grip but when she felt it click to her shoulder he had to jolt it to make sure it was on properly. It was an oddly intimate thing, him reattaching her arm. She appreciated it as it turned a bad memory into a good one each time. She stood and brushed a palm over his chest as she strutted by. He grinned and followed. 


End file.
